Jiarong Tibetans generally refer to Jiarong Tibetans who live in parts of Danba County and Kangding County in Ganzi Prefecture, parts of Jinchuan, Xiaojin, Marcand, Lixian County, Heishui, Hongyuan and Wenchuan in Aba Prefecture, Ya 'an City, Liangshan Prefecture and other places, who speak Jiarong language and are mainly engaged in agricultural production. Tibetan areas call Tibetans in this area "Rongba" (people from agricultural areas). Jiarong is the abbreviation of "Jiamo Chavarong" or "Maqu Shibei Jiamo Erdo Chavarong" in Tibetan. "Ma Qu Shi Bei Jia Mo" means the majestic Tara God, "Murdo" means "mysterious meteorite", and "Chavarong" is a tropical agricultural area, which means people living in the tropical area of Mount Murdo.
Anyone who goes to Jinchuan and Minjiang River basins in northwest Sichuan will feel that they are in a magical world as soon as they set foot on this plateau: the river meanders in the mountains like strips of hada, the holy snow-capped mountains are illusory and blurred, colorful prayer flags flutter in the wind, magnificent blockhouses stand quietly in villages or mountains, and the striking patterns on the walls are imaginative.
Patterns are an important part of Tibetan culture, among which the patterns on the walls of Jiarong Shanzhai blockhouse are unique.
Jiarong lives among mountains. In order to resist the severe cold in winter, the heat in summer and all kinds of animal disasters, Jiarong has lived in stone blockhouses for generations. The blockhouse is made of stone and wood, rectangular flat-topped and trapezoidal, with more than a dozen stories high and five or six stories short. There are prayer flags on the roof, a smoking (mulberry) tower, and white curtain curtains hanging on the eaves, doors and windows; White stones are placed at the four corners of the lintel, window lattice and roof. The walls of the bunker are all painted with lime, the windows are also marked with white edges, and the walls are painted with patterns. These patterns are not daubed by faith, but have their special significance and function. They are the values and aesthetics formed by Jiarong people in the long historical development process, representing the pursuit and desire of the owners and embodying the characteristics of Jiarong Tibetan culture itself.
The patterns on the village walls are religious, such as the Eight Auspicious Pictures of Tibetan Buddhism, such as the Diamond Knot and the Victory Umbrella, which are symbols of auspiciousness, peace and happiness advocated by the Tibetan people. For example, the tantric Vajrayana is a very powerful instrument, which means it is firm and sharp, and can destroy everything. Demons and ghosts are scared when they see it, indicating that the owner of the house hopes that his residence will be as indestructible as King Kong and can resist disasters and dangers. For example, the "swastika" pattern, which is the most representative symbol of Tibetan Buddhism, means sun and flame, and is said to be one of the 32 phases of Sakyamuni. Bonism also has this symbol, but the direction of rotation is opposite to it, that is, "ü", which means eternity, firmness and infinity, while the folk refers to prosperity, prosperity and auspiciousness. If anyone has this pattern painted on his wall, this family must believe in Bonism. In Jiarong Tibetan folk history, primitive Bonism prevailed, worshiping everything in the world and believing that everything has spirits: nature, natural phenomena, animals and plants, and everything that can be seen or even seen.
The patterns on the village walls are related to totems. The white patterns painted on the four walls and the borders of doors and windows, if you look closely, are deformed bull's head patterns, and some of them are directly inlaid on the walls when building houses. Legend has it that Jiarong Tibetan ancestors came from yak tribe, and they worshiped white, so that white yak, white horse, white Shi Ying, right-handed white conch and white pagoda were all mascots and worshipped as totems. From its connotation, white is a symbol of snow-capped mountains, which are gods, crystal clear, holy, mysterious and awesome.
Jiarong people think that the pattern of the walled village can summon Buddha's light and aura, drive away ghosts and evil spirits, eliminate disasters and reduce happiness, and protect the living beings. And these exquisite patterns beautify their lives and make the blockhouses become exquisite art galleries.
The pattern of the walled village is rich in connotation, reflecting the elegant demeanor of Jiarong Tibetan culture. As a square stone of Tibetan culture, it is constantly absorbing and integrating. The Tibetan people emphasize people's hearts, pay attention to personal introspection, get rid of all suffering through practice, and achieve a peaceful, happy and beautiful realm. With the changes of the times and the increasing communication with the outside world, they are also changing. Its religious beliefs, customs, singing and dancing art, food, clothing, housing and transportation and other cultural factors are also blending with the cultures of other ethnic groups and other regions, and they are changing imperceptibly, and the pattern of the walled village has also had new contents. For example, the five-pointed star, the word "Xi", the word "Fu" and the word "Fu" are also painted on the wall as auspicious patterns, showing their pursuit of bright and beautiful, happy and rich materials, and also reflecting the living conditions and survival psychology of the house owners.
Every year in late autumn and early winter, it is the season for each family to paint the walls of the village. Every family invites the Lama to recite the scriptures and watch the geomantic omen, and the Lama puts forward the patterns he should draw according to the calculated results. The owner smoked mulberry smoke to pray, erected prayer flags beside the house and painted with lime. At this time, the cottage is really brand new, full of beauty and hope.
photo pole boat writing: TibeTan sunshine
Photos by Tonkeg'S Story editor: ta's story.